Getting Up the Nerve
by redrider6612
Summary: Zach's got a crush, but he's not sure how to approach the object of his affection.  This is a shortie, probably three chapters.  Overwhelming demand has caused me to write another chapter or two.
1. Chapter 1

Zach caught up to Booth in the hallway on his way out. "Agent Booth, can I have a moment of your time?" he called.

Booth stopped, but didn't turn. Zach caught up to him, slightly out of breath. Booth sighed and half turned toward him. "What is it, Zach?" he asked wearily.

"I was wondering if you could answer a question about—women," Zach began tentatively. He still remembered the last time he'd had the temerity to approach Agent Booth on this subject, but he really didn't want to ask Hodgins.

Another heavier sigh. "I'd rather have a root canal," Booth muttered repressively, to no affect.

"I—want to ask a coworker for date and I'm not sure how to approach her," Zach said quickly, sensing that Booth was low on patience.

Booth put his hand on his hip and dropped his head forward in resignation. Might as well get this over with, he thought. He looked at Zach. "Maybe if you told me her name—"

"No!" Zach said a bit too quickly. "I—I mean, why do you need to know her name? I would think the method would be the same regardless of who she is—"

A smile kicked up one side of Booth's mouth. "You would be wrong then. You can't use the same approach with every woman. It doesn't work that way," he said with admirable patience.

Zach looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Booth blew out a breath. "Well, if she's shy, you should ask her quietly, when nobody else is around. If she's more outgoing, then a very direct approach should work—"

"What if she is probably completely unaware that I'm attracted to her? How would I do it then?" Zach asked mysteriously.

"Well, then I think you should begin by telling her how you feel. Her reaction should tell you whether she might be interested in going out with you." Booth studied Zach curiously, wondering who it could be. "It's Sandy Martin, isn't it?" he guessed. Sandy was one of the lab assistants, kinda cute if you liked the mousy type.

Zach's mouth dropped open. "What? No—why? Has she said anything?" he asked, distracted for the moment. Sandy didn't seem to be interested in him, but he didn't trust his own instincts when it came to this.

Booth frowned. "No, but it's not like she's ever said two words to me. Or anyone else, for that matter. I just thought, you know, working with her all the time—"

Zach shook his head. "Agent Booth, I'm not going to tell you who it is. If she—says no, I'd rather nobody else knew." Which was why he was talking to Booth instead of Hodgins, who would have told Angela.

Booth's interest was peaked. He racked his brain for candidates, but came up empty. Whoever she was, Zach had concealed his interest well.

Zach didn't like the way Agent Booth was looking at him. He knew he was nearly as perceptive as Angela. It was time to wrap this up before he figured it out.

"So, I start by telling her how I feel, then ask her out if she seems receptive," he said thoughtfully. He smiled suddenly, relieved to have a plan. "Well, I should get back to work. Thank you," he said, and hurried off, leaving Booth still trying to puzzle it out.


	2. Chapter 2

_Two days later…_

Zach was bent over the remains, examining some fibers imbedded in the right wrist. Taking a pair of tweezers, he carefully pulled a couple fibers free and put them into an evidence envelope to give to Hodgins. Dr. Brennan came up beside him and he nearly dropped the envelope.

"What did you find?" she asked, bending to take a look.

"Some kind of fibers. I don't think its rope. It's probably some kind of fabric," he said, trying not to be distracted by the smell of her shampoo. He wondered what kind she used. It smelled wonderful.

"Give them to Hodgins for analysis," she said, and Zach had to bite back a retort. He wasn't a green grad student any more. He had his doctorate. He knew the routine. But he knew she was speaking automatically, she hadn't meant to imply he didn't know what to do.

"Do we have cause of death yet?" Booth asked from where he stood impatiently.

Brennan sighed. "Not yet. There are no apparent wounds. It's possible he was suffocated, but we'll know more after we've finished our examination."

Zach left them to discuss the findings thus far and took the envelope to Hodgins, then went to sit at his station. His thoughts were uncharacteristically chaotic.

He'd been waiting for two days for the right moment, but every time it seemed it had finally arrived, somebody would walk up or she'd turn away and the moment was lost. He was beginning to think there wouldn't be a right moment. Maybe he'd just have to corner her in her office and come out with it. His stomach clenched in apprehension.

After long consideration, he had come to the conclusion that he and Dr. Brennan were perfect for each other. In an attempt to calm himself, he mentally ticked off all of the reasons that had led him to this startling conclusion. First, she enjoyed discussing osteology, anthropology and forensics with him. She had even told Booth that she found intelligence soothing. Second, he made her laugh, which he knew was an important component to a successful relationship with a woman. She had an attractive laugh, especially when it had that husky undertone. Third, he was at least two inches taller than her. Like most women, she seemed to prefer men that were taller than her. The only negative was their age difference, but four years really wasn't that big a difference. His Aunt Clara was seven years older than his Uncle Ralph, and they'd been happily married for thirty two years. Now that he had his doctorate and he wasn't her grad student any more, there was nothing standing in their way.

So, what to do? How to go about pursuing her? Again he considered the direct approach that Agent Booth had recommended, but he didn't know if he had the courage for that. Maybe if he had told Booth that it was Dr. Brennan, he would have given him better advice. Then again, he could be a bit touchy about women in general and Dr. Brennan in particular. He wondered briefly if that was significant. It was possible Angela was right about them, but he wasn't sure. His powers of observation were definitely lacking when it came to picking up subtle nuances in human behavior. In that he and Dr. Brennan were similar. He smiled to himself. Another thing we have in common, he thought with satisfaction.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here is the final installment. Hope you like it. **

His opportunity finally came three days later. It was nearly nine and the lab was deserted. They had solved the case and Angela and Hodgins had gone out to celebrate. They had invited him to come, but he declined. As great as they were, going out with them was an exercise in extreme awkwardness. He was happy for them, he really was, but when they were holding hands and staring into each others eyes, he didn't know what to do and he usually ended up making some banal comment that made them both roll their eyes.

He spent ten minutes in the men's room getting up the nerve. Staring at his reflection, he rehearsed what he wanted to say, trying a variety of combinations until he thought he had the right one. Taking a last deep breath, he headed for her office where he knew she was typing her report.

She didn't even look up when he came in. He stood nervously in front of her desk, waiting for her to finish what she was doing. He didn't want to break her concentration, but he needed to get this over with before his courage completely deserted him. He cleared his throat.

"Dr. Brennan?" he croaked, then cleared his throat again, shifting from foot to foot.

She darted him a distracted glance. "Why are you still here?" she asked with a small frown between her brows. "I thought you left with Hodgins and Angela."

"Uh, no. Uh, I needed to ask you something, privately," he managed to say. She still wasn't looking at him and he began to panic. Eye contact was crucial to conveying sincerity, but he wasn't sure what to do to get her to look at him. Then her lovely eyes looked up to meet his and he completely forgot what he was going to say.

"What is it Zach?" she asked, puzzled by his manner. She'd never seen him so nervous.

He stood there staring at her for a long moment, trying to get his scattered thoughts back into some semblance of order. She waited patiently, studying him with a concerned look. 'Say something, you idiot,' a small voice in his head urged. Breathing deeply, he took the plunge.

"I—I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to see that new Titanic exhibit over at the Smithsonian?" he asked in a rush.

She smiled a little and shook her head. "I don't know, Zach. I've heard it's just a lot of the same artifacts that they had from the last exhibit with a few new ones thrown in."

She hadn't said no outright and he was encouraged. "Oh, no, that's not true. I read the press release on it, it sounds like there are a lot of fascinating items. I thought we could have dinner first, see the exhibit and maybe have a look at some of the other exhibits they have."

Brennan nodded slowly. She supposed it might be interesting. "Are Hodgins and Angela coming?"

Zach felt his panic rise again. "Uh, no, I—thought we could just go together—"

Her mouth fell open as she realized where he was going with this. "Are you asking me on a date?" she asked, in shock.

Zach's mouth went dry as he stared at her slack jawed. "Uh, yeah, I mean, only if you want to call it a date. You know, we could—just look at it as two colleagues enjoying a relaxing evening together—"

Brennan got up and came around the desk and Zach forced himself to stand his ground as she stopped arms length away. "Zach, I don't think that's a good idea. Coworkers really shouldn't date—"

"But Dr. Brennan, how else am I supposed to meet women? Work is the only place I have interaction with women—" he began, then stopped. "Besides, we're equals now that I have my doctorate. And we have a lot in common," he pointed out reasonably.

She shook her head, sighing inwardly. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but there were so many reasons it was a bad idea. Not the least of which was that she wasn't attracted to him. It would be like dating her brother. She suppressed a groan. She wasn't good at this. Her tendency to be blunt usually led to disaster.

"I agree, we do have a lot in common, but that isn't the only factor in selecting a partner," she said gently.

Zach looked mystified. "What other factors are there?" he asked, intrigued in spite of himself.

Brennan sighed. She really wasn't good at this. "Oh, you know, physical attraction—"

"I find you very attractive," Zach said quickly before he could stop himself. He blushed as he realized what he'd just said. Then he realized what she was trying to say.

Dr. Brennan closed her eyes, apparently trying to think of how to respond to his compliment. She opened them again and smiled hesitantly. "Thank you, that's very sweet, but the attraction has to be mutual—"

Zach's face fell and her heart went out to him. Seeing the sympathy on her face, he blushed and stepped back, looking away. "I'm sorry, I thought—uh, that is, I was only—I think I should go now," he stammered, heading for the door.

This time her groan was verbalized. "Zach, wait. I'm sorry—"

He stopped at the door and spoke without turning. She noticed his neck was red and she felt sorry for him. "Its okay, Dr. Brennan. It's obvious I misread the situation. I shouldn't have said anything. Please don't tell anyone," he finished, and then he was gone.

Brennan sat down in the chair in front of her desk as what had just happened hit her full on. She thought back over the last few years, trying to remember any time she had given him any reason to think that she was attracted to him. Unable to come up with anything, she sighed. Angela could probably help her deal with the situation, but Zach had asked her not to tell anyone. That was the least she could do. She just hoped this wouldn't affect their working relationship.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Zach decided the best thing to do was act like last night's scene never happened. It turned out that was easier said than done. He swiped his card and climbed the stairs, grateful she wasn't on the platform yet this morning. Hodgins and Angela were absent as well, which was something else to be thankful for. He didn't think he was ready to face them yet, wasn't quite ready to pretend his heart wasn't broken. Pulling on a pair of latex gloves, he got started on the remains the lab assistant had laid out on the exam table. As he worked, he gradually regained his equilibrium.

Forty minutes later Dr. Brennan came up the platform stairs with Angela and all the progress he'd made went up in smoke. "Morning, Zach," Angela said.

He darted a look up at her. She was looking at him with a smile and no apparent sign of sympathy, so it seemed Dr. Brennan had followed his wishes. "Hi, Angela. I'll have the skull ready for you by noon." His gaze slid to Dr. Brennan. "Good morning, Dr. Brennan," he said in a remarkably steady voice.

She smiled at him without a hint of what had passed between them the night before. "Good morning, Zach. Are you done with the preliminary on our John Doe?"

"No, this one is going to take at least a few more hours. There is no obvious sign of trauma," he said as he resumed his examination. He felt her come up beside him and tensed, painfully aware of her scent. She bent to look closely at the particulates he was examining and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was frowning.

"What do you think that is?" she asked.

"Some kind of fine dust, possibly drywall. I'm sure Hodgins will be able to tell us," Zach said, sealing the vial with the dust in it and moving away from her quickly.

Hodgins came up on the platform just then. "Did I hear my name?"

Zach handed him the vial. "I need a full spectrum analysis on this dust that I found on the victim's clothes," he told him. Hodgins took the vial and went to his station and Zach resumed his examination of the remains. He tensed up when Dr. Brennan came up beside him. Zach gave her another look from the corner of his eye. She was bent over the chest cavity of the victim as she pulled on gloves, frowning. He should have found it easier to assume a professional detachment in the face of her apparent relaxed manner, but he was intensely aware of her proximity.

"Hodgins, have you been able to come up with the time since death?" she asked as she picked up a pair of forceps. Zach leaned forward to try to see what had caught her attention and his shoulder brushed against hers. Jerking back, he knocked into the tray of instruments and only just managed to stop it from crashing to the floor. Blushing, he looked up to find Angela watching him with an odd look. Brennan glanced at him and went back to her examination. "Be careful, Zach," she said quietly. Her calm did nothing to alleviate his embarrassment.

"Sorry, Dr. Brennan," he muttered, moving around to the opposite side of the table. He could feel Angela's stare boring into his back. He bent over to look at the bit of fabric Dr. Brennan was holding up. "What is it?" he asked, distracted in spite of himself.

"It looks like it might be cotton, possibly a piece of a shirt. It was imbedded in one of the cuts," she said.

"It doesn't match any of the victim's clothing. Do you think it might be from the killer's shirt?" he wondered aloud.

Brennan frowned up at him. "It's too soon to say. You know I don't like speculation," she said, irritated. She put the bit of cloth in an evidence envelope and handed it to Zach. "Have Hodgins analyze it. Give him samples of the victim's clothes to compare it to. It isn't a visual match, but I'd like him to confirm."

Zach nodded jerkily and turned to take the envelope over to Hodgins, smarting a bit from her reproof. Angela was still watching him, but he avoided her eyes, returning to the table. "I n-need to finish applying the tissue markers to the skull," he stammered. Maybe if he gave Angela something to do, she'd quit staring at him like she was figuring things out.

Dr. Brennan didn't even look at him. "That's fine," she said absently, completely absorbed. Zach went over to his station and sat down with his back to everyone. His nerves were shot. He wished he'd never gotten up the nerve to ask her, wished he could somehow take it back. Sighing, he picked up the skull and started working, the only thing he knew for certain he could handle.

BBBBBB

Angela rolled her chair over to Zach's station and sat watching him attaching the tissue markers. He almost dropped the skull when she spoke to him so softly that the others couldn't overhear.

"What's up, Zach?" she asked.

Zach darted a glance at her, then focused on the skull again. "I don't know what you mean," he said evasively.

She cocked her head at him, watching his profile. "C'mon, Z-man, I can tell something's got you jumpy. Maybe if you tell me what it is, I can help you deal with it," she coaxed.

"I'm fine," he said, setting the skull down and reaching for another marker.

Angela rolled her chair a little closer. "No, you're not. I've never seen you this nervous before," she persisted.

"I'd rather not discuss it right now," he said softly, wishing she'd go back to her station. He was almost done doing the markers.

"So there is something," she said triumphantly, a smile teasing at her lips.

Zach shook his head, amazed at her tenacity. "I didn't say that. I'm busy right now and I don't want to discuss your delusion that something is bothering me. Give me five minutes and you can have the skull."

She watched as he applied another marker. "You know, I'm gonna find out, so you might as well tell me," she warned, glancing over to make sure Hodgins wasn't paying attention. A glance over her shoulder assured her that Brennan seemed oblivious as well.

Zach sighed, frustrated. "There's nothing to tell, therefore nothing for you to find out, so you might as well drop it." He forced himself to meet her gaze calmly and stoically endured her probing stare.

After a long, tense moment, she sighed. "Fine. Have it your way, Z-man," she said, rolling her chair back to her station and folding her arms, leaning back and staring at him.

Moments later he applied the last marker and took the skull to her. She thanked him with a smile which he returned with relief.

"I'm going to take a break," he announced to nobody in particular. Pulling off his gloves, he forced himself to walk off the platform, when he really wanted to run. He headed for the break room, hoping to get a moment to regain his composure. His encounter with Angela had really unnerved him.


	5. Chapter 5

Getting Up the Nerve

Chapter 5

Angela waited three more days before cornering Brennan about Zach's behavior. The jumpiness wasn't getting better and he stammered when he wasn't talking like a robot on uppers. It seemed to be worse when Brennan was around, and Angela suspected that wasn't a coincidence. Something was up.

"Hi," Angela said as she stopped beside Brennan's desk. Her friend darted a glance at her, then went back to studying the file before her.

"Hi," Brennan said. There was a long pause as Angela waited for her to give her her undivided attention. Brennan finally looked up again with a frown. "Angela?" she asked, puzzled.

Angela cocked a hip and put her fist on it. "Do you know what's wrong with Zach?"

Brennan shook her head slowly. "I don't know what you're talking about. He seems fine to me," she said, dropping her eyes to the file again to avoid Angela's probing stare.

Angela sighed. Her friend could be so dense sometimes. "He is not fine," she said firmly. "He's a wreck, and it seems to be worse when you're around." She stared at Brennan for another long moment. "You really haven't noticed?" she asked, amazed.

Brennan shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't have your instincts. What do you think it could be?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "I think he has a crush on you," she announced.

Brennan was saved from answering as Booth spoke from the doorway. "Who does?"

Brennan stiffened. Booth was looking back and forth between her and Angela with a frown.

"Zach. He's been acting weird around Brennan lately," Angela explained after looking past Booth to make sure nobody was lurking in the hallway.

Booth's eyes went wide as a suspicion dawned in his mind. "So that's who--! Wait, how long has he been acting weird?"

Angela shrugged. "A week and a half maybe," she hazarded, watching Booth's expressive face.

Booth smirked as his suspicion was confirmed. "That's what I thought. You're right, Angela, he's got a thing for the dear doctor here," he said, watching Brennan's face for her reaction. She had an odd look on her face, but it wasn't surprise.

"Why aren't you surprised?" he asked curiously. Brennan pursed her lips and looked away. "He asked you out, didn't he?"

Brennan folded her arms stubbornly, looking back at him angrily. "That's none of your business," she said coldly.

Booth nodded, grinning. "Shot him down, didn't you," he said with satisfaction. When she remained silent, he experienced a moment of doubt. "You did, didn't you? You didn't actually agree to go out with him?" he asked incredulously.

Brennan closed her eyes and sighed. "No. I—I don't see him that way, I tried to explain—But I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. And now you and Angela have figured it out somehow, even though I tried to behave like nothing happened—"

Angela touched her arm. "It wasn't you," she said reassuringly. "It was Zach."

Booth was shaking his head in disbelief. Bones was the coworker Zach had asked him about. And he had advised him to go for it. And he had done it. Un-freakin'-believable.

Brennan was upset. "You can't say anything about it," she ordered sternly.

"Of course we won't, Bren. Right Booth?" Angela prodded, frowning at Booth.

He lifted his hands in surrender. "Not a word." Brennan was studying him, trying to gauge his sincerity.

"I mean it, Booth," she said, a warning in her voice. "No teasing, no comments, not a word."

"Hey, I wouldn't dream of it. My lips are sealed," he said, pantomiming locking his lips and tossing away the key.

She sighed. "Okay. Because I don't want his feelings hurt any more than they already are."

Angela looked sympathetic. "He took it pretty hard, didn't he?"

Brennan frowned again. "It didn't seem like it, but you know me. Maybe he's more upset than I thought. I just hope he gets over it. It's really messing with our work dynamic."

"Aw, he'll be fine in no time, you'll see," Booth said reassuringly. Angela and Brennan didn't look so sure, but there was no point worrying about it. Zach would have to work it out on his own.

BBBBB

Zach couldn't handle the awkwardness any more. His concentration was shot and if he knocked over one more tray of instruments, he thought Dr. Brennan might ask Dr. Saroyan to replace him. Not that it would be easy to find another forensic anthropologist, but he didn't want to take any chances. He decided he needed Booth's advice. The irony was that it was Booth's advice that had gotten him into this mess in the first place. He caught up to him in the hallway as he was leaving.

"Agent Booth, can I have a word?" he called. Booth stopped, but didn't turn. Zach wasn't deterred. He came around to stand in front of him, rubbing his hands together nervously.

Booth raised his eyebrows and Zach took that as permission. "She said—no," he confided in a whisper, glancing around for the third time to make sure nobody was around. Booth didn't respond. Zach thought maybe Booth didn't know what he was talking about. "You know, the, uh, lady I asked you about? She—she said she doesn't feel that way—" he stammered, trailing off awkwardly at the grim look on Booth's face.

Booth sighed. "Sorry to hear that, Zach. Now, I need to—" he said, turning to go.

"How do I work with her with that hanging between us?" Zach asked all at once, desperate to keep him from leaving without getting the advice he needed.

Sighing again, Booth turned back towards him. "Do you remember a time when you weren't attracted to her? A time when you were just friends?" Zach thought for a moment, then finally nodded. "Focus on those feelings." Zach was uncharacteristically silent. Booth decided to give him a new direction for his amorous tendencies. "Find someone else that you like and ask her out." Zach gave him a doubtful look. "You know, Bo—she's not the only fish in the sea," he finished, silently cursing his slip.

Zach looked thoughtful, apparently he had missed it. "Fish?" he said, somewhat puzzled. His eyes widened as comprehension dawned. "Ah, okay, I see. Hmmm." He turned and walked away slowly, considering possible targets. Booth sighed with relief. Well, that was easy. Maybe now things could return to normal. Or what passed for normal around there.


End file.
